Changes
by Antithesis
Summary: A programmer in the pokémon world decides, upon meeting the right partner, to take that Training Journey he's always dreamed of. Written for a 30-day challenge: each scene is one prompt.


"Look at you," Ronyo said, scratching the eevee behind the ears. "You've got your whole life ahead of you."

"Veeeee" it purred, leaning into the scratch.

"And you can be anything you want," he said, continuing his musings. "Dark type, plant type, fire type; seems like every time there's a new type discovered, there's an eeveeloution to go with it." The scratches slowed as he seemed to get lost in his own thoughts. "And even the constraints seem to help. You're not like a ditto that doesn't even know who he is to begin with. You're limited, but in a good way."

He looked down at the eevee, and the eevee looked back with a mixture of curiosity and happiness. "All that to say," Ronyo said, resuming the scratches, "is you're probably my favorite. Unofficially, of course; I'm technically not allowed to play favorites," he finished with a wink.

With a sigh, he turned to leave. "Thanks for letting me stop by again, Mrs. H!"

The elderly Mrs. H just smiled and said, "You can still adopt him if you want, Ronyo."

This time Ronyo paused. He blinked. Twice. Then turned back to the eevee.

"You know," he said, "I never took a Journey. Got too wrapped up in school and computers and the next thing I knew I had a job and a life and…" He smiled sadly. "I always thought it was too late for me, but…" His sad smile turned into a foxy grin as the eevee's ears perked up. "What do you say, you want to take on the world with me?"

"Vee!" the eevee yelled as it jumped out of the basket towards Ronyo.

A few minutes later, the two walked out of Mrs. H's apartment, the eevee riding on Ronyo's shoulder. "It'll take a couple of weeks to get my vacation approved, and about that long for the adoption paperwork to go through, which gives us some time to get to know each other before we set out," Ronyo said, adjusting his stance to account for the extra weight.

"So to start off, can I call you Eddie?"

Eddie was so excited he nearly fell off his new trainer. Nearly.

**Day 1: Favorite pokémon: Eevee**

_Thanks to its unstable genetic makeup, this special Pokémon conceals many different possible evolutions._

* * *

Ronyo stared down the biker, Eddie perched on his shoulder. "Correct me if I'm wrong," he said, "but are you asking for a CHALLENGE?!"

The biker smirked in response. With a call of "You're up, Jynx!" he threw out his first pokemon.

Ronyo blanched. Why'd it have to be a jynx? It—sorry, she—was already swaying her hips, and he was feeling the twitch in the back of his mind encouraging him to join in.

Needless to say, it wasn't his favorite.

A nip on his ear from Eddie brought him back to reality. "Sorry, bud," he murmured. "Um… Start out with a sand attack, and if I forget to say something just tackle."

With a quick "Vee!" Eddie was on the field.

"You okay, Hot Shot?" the biker said from across the field.

"Yeah…" Ronyo said, scratching the back of his neck and doing everything he could not to look at the jynx. "Jynxes tend to make my ADD worse. Nothing major."

But of course, he wasn't allowed to have favorites.

**Day 2: Least favorite pokémon: Jynx**

_It wiggles its hips as it walks. It can cause people to dance in unison with it._

* * *

The smell of sand, sea salt, and suffocating humidity blended together as a gentle breeze blew in from the sea. Ronyo tightened the grip on his bag as Eddie stood next to him, the two looking out over the dull-blue water.

"I would have picked a squirtle," Ronyo muttered. He looked down at Eddie and said, "Not that I don't love you, buddy, but a squirtle would come in handy right about now."

"Ee," Eddie said in agreement.

"Option one: we find a water stone."

"Vee, eev eev eevee…" Eddie said halfheartedly.

"'If you want' isn't good enough for me; I'll only evolve you if you ask me to. So scratch option one." He inhaled deeply to try to think. "Option two: we head to the Safari Zone and try to catch someone that can use Surf."

"Eevee…" Eddie said, the idea of a new friend clashing with the idea of yet another delay.

"Option three: we find a ride."

"AHA!" a voice yelled entirely too close for Ronyo's comfort, causing him and Eddie to jump about two feed into the air. "DOES A TRAINER NEED MY HELP CROSSING THE TROUBLED WATERS THAT STAND BETWEEN US AND TOTAL VICTORY?!"

Ronyo gave the newcomer a good look. He was wearing a sleeveless t-shirt and a battered vest along with orange-colored sunglasses with sharply angled lenses.

"Um, actually," Ronyo said, feeling suddenly unsure in this person's presence, "if you can get me and Eddie here to Cinnabar Island, that'd be pretty good?"

"SUCH A SIMPLE REQUEST," he yelled. "MY PARTNER SQUIRTLE CAN HAVE US THERE IN TIME TO EAT OUR OPPONENTS FOR BREAKFAST!"

Before Ronyo could protest that a small squirtle would be hard-pressed to carry even one of them, the ostentatious trainer released his squirtle.

"SQUIRR SQU SQUIRTLE IR SQU SQUIR," he yelled, donning a pair of sunglasses identical to his trainer's, "SQUIR SQUIRTLE SQU SQU SQUIRTLE SQUIRR IR SQUIRR TLE IR SQUIRTLE!"

Ronyo's eyes widened hearing the squirtle. "Eddie?" he said weakly.

"Vee?"

Ronyo watched the squirtle prepare its attack, an alarming amount of energy surrounding him.

"Run."

Ronyo and Eddie scrambled to get away from the beach before the epic Surf attack to end all Surf attacks reached its inevitable conclusion.

"I hear Silent Bridge is nice this time of year!"

**Day 3: Favorite starter: Squirtle**

_It shelters itself in its shell, then strikes back with spouts of water at every opportunity._

* * *

Ronyo looked up at the sky and sighed. "The full moon's lovely tonight."

"Ee," Eddie said, looking up in awe from Ronyo's shoulder.

Ronyo looked at him. "This is what you want?" he said softly.

Eddie looked back. "Vee," he said with a confident nod.

Ronyo smiled. "Alright then." He fished out a pokéball and tossed it, yelling, "Help us out, Zoe!"

A spearow materialized. "Spear spearow? Spearow ow spe spear!"

Ronyo smirked. "It wouldn't work if you did go easy on him. Do your thing, Zoe. Eddie, tackle!"

Zoe attempted to fly up to dodge, but Eddie's tackle connected and brought them both down in a heap. The tackles, scratches, and pecks continued for a minute before both parties launched a sand attack, obscuring the entire battlefield.

Zoe took to the air, adding a gust attack to blow more of the sand towards Eddie. Ronyo almost called her out on leaving the battle early, but before he could a dark blur shot out of the sand cloud, striking Zoe.

The blur resolved itself into Eddie, who was standing perfectly still except for his heavy breathing. Zoe crashed a moment later. She tensed herself for another hit, but seeing Eddie's state relaxed, knowing the battle was over.

Ronyo knelt down. "Eddie?" he said softly, looking him in the eyes.

Eddie looked up at Ronyo. He didn't say anything, but Ronyo could see his eyes starting to turn red.

"Don't be afraid," Ronyo said softly.

Eddie closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and started to glow. It was a soft, white glow, reminiscent of the moonlight triggering the change. His outline grew, his bushy neck fur and little remaining baby fat disappearing into his sleek, lithe evolved form. The white glow faded into black fur, red eyes, and a series of golden rings glowing eerily in the moonlight.

"Spe… spearow" Zoe said, doing her best to disguise the tremor in her voice.

It wasn't enough. Eddie's ears drooped a bit as he hunched down.

Ronyo smiled sadly. "Thanks, Zoe; you did well," he said, returning her to her pokéball. After pocketing the ball, he turned his attention back to Eddie.

Eddie was lying down now, his ears touching the ground and his tail inert. His rings had faded to a dull yellow.

"How are you feeling, buddy?" Ronyo said.

Eddie just turned his eyes to look at him, the rest of his body still inert. "Bree um umbreon," he said. "Umbre umbreon bre eon."

Ronyo just smirked and scratched the new umbreon behind the ears. "That's my secret, buddy," he said. "The night never bothered me anyway."

Eddie rolled his eyes at the bad joke, but his tail twitched a bit in hope. "Eon?"

Ronyo smiled back. "Let 'em glow."

Eddie hopped to his feet, and with a long howl to the moon, started to glow.

Ronyo felt the unnatural fear brush his mind, but he recognized it for what it was: the unknown. And where others saw danger, he saw adventure.

**Day 4: Favourite Eeeveeloution: Umbreon**

_When exposed to the moon's aura, the rings on its body glow faintly and it's filled with a mysterious power._

* * *

"Breeeeeeeeee umbre umbreon?" Eddie complained.

"Because she likes sunrises," Ronyo said, inhaling the humid pre-dawn air. "And because she can't be seen by too many people; she's too big of a target."

They crested the hill to see the sky just beginning to lighten in the east. "Gotta admit, though," he said, "it is beautiful."

"Bree umbreon…" Eddie said with a shrug. He looked over to see Ronyo rubbing his thumb along his fingers and breathing a little heavily. It could have been that they had just climbed a hill, or…

"Eon?" he asked.

Ronyo jumped. "Nervous? No, I'm not nervous, I'm just…"

Eddie raised an eyebrow, an impressive feat considering his physiology.

Ronyo smiled sheepishly. "…okay, I'm nervous. I haven't seen her since I was a kid. I just…" He sighed. "I want her to be proud of me."

"Umbreon bree eon," Eddie said in what he hoped was a reassuring tone.

"I'm sure she is too, bud; I want…" He took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. "I want her to be proud of who I've become, who I've grown up to be…"

Eddie didn't say anything in response. He simply walked over and pressed himself against his trainer's leg; the closest approximation he could give to a hug given their height differences.

Ronyo took it for what it was and gave Eddie a scratch behind the ears. "Thanks, bud."

Any further bonding was interrupted by the sunrise, and along with it a giant bird, her feathers reflecting the new sun in all its glory. She circled the two before gently landing in front of them.

Ronyo and the bird shuffled awkwardly for a moment before the bird opened her wings and spoke directly to Ronyo and Eddie's minds. ::Are you already too old for hugs?:: she said.

"Never," Ronyo said with a grin as he ran forward and embraced the large bird around her midsection, burying his arms in her plumage.

After a moment he backed away and stood to the side of her and Eddie. "OK, introductions. Auntie, this is my friend Eddie. Eddie, meet my aunt Ho-Oh."

Eddie bowed respectfully. "Bree um eon, umbreon," he said.

::Eddie, is it?:: Ho-Oh said. Eddie nodded. ::You're Ronyo's friend. That makes you family, and family doesn't bow.:: She shrugged her wings. ::At least, not all the time.::

Ronyo grinned. "There was that one time—"

::That we swore never to speak of, thank you!::

**Day 5: Favourite legendary pokémon: Ho-Oh**

_A legend says that its body glows in seven colors. A rainbow is said to form behind it when it flies._

* * *

Ronyo's mouth dried at the thought of licking another Lick-And-Stick Spirit Seal, but the several left to apply weren't going to stick themselves up.

"Eddie," he called, "what do your red eyes see?"

"Eon," Eddie replied. Save for a twitch of his ear, he remained perfectly still.

"'Nothing' is good," Ronyo mumbled, moving to the next tree around their campsite. Bracing himself, he licked the seal—a bookmark-sized sheet of paper with a few Unown runes on it—as liberally as he could and affixed it to the tree.

The pair continued in silence for another ten minutes in the half-light. Sunset had officially passed, but as long as there was enough light to see they were safe. As for after that?

"If my own mother didn't swear by these things…" Ronyo said, affixing the last one. He turned to Eddie. "Ready for you, buddy."

Eddie ran over to Ronyo and pressed his ear against the last seal. With Ronyo's help he reached his tail over to the first seal.

"Feel the energy inside you," Ronyo instructed gently, "and let it flow out."

Eddie took a deep breath, and with a howling "Eeooooooon" the seals began to glow.

Ronyo collapsed on the ground, finally able to relax. Eddie crawled into his lap.

"That'll hold," Ronyo said, scratching Eddie. "You get power from the moon, so the moon will help keep them charged." He closed his eyes, not caring that he had yet to set up his tent or even get out his sleeping bag. Two sleepless nights in a row had finally caught up to him.

"Next time I say anything about going by Lavender town, Bite me."

**Day 6: Most terrifying pokémon: Haunter**

_If you get the feeling of being watched in darkness when nobody is around, Haunter is there._

* * *

Ronyo hadn't thought the sight of a city could make him feel so… joyful.

His clothes, already too dirty from four days on nonstop traveling, were soaked from the rain. His hair wasn't too wet only because it was so greasy from said traveling, especially traveling near salt water and camping among the trees. His back was sore from sleeping straight on the ground the night before, and his brain was sore from the two nights of Dream Eater attacks before that. His arms were covered with bug bites (normal mosquitos, thankfully), his backpack was partially unzipped, and he was too worn out to care.

He just stood there, in the rain, on the crest of the hill overlooking Saffron City.

"It's so beautiful," he moaned.

Eddie walked up to him and nearly collapsed at the sight. "Bree…"

Ronyo smiled. "We're getting a hotel room, tonight," he said firmly. "Hot shower, hot meal, a nice bed; and maybe I'll be feeling human in the morning."

Eddie gave Ronyo a sidelong glance.

Ronyo rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean." He motioned ahead. "Shall we?"

Eddie didn't answer. He was staring intently at a spot just off the road, his ears flicking to try to clue Ronyo into following his gaze.

He did. There was a small clearing with a fairly recent stump in the middle, a pikachu tensed on top of it. It was crouched on all fours and glancing nervously back and forth, its tail—male by the looks of it—high in the air.

"Pikaaaa chaaaaaa," it growled.

A sudden lightning bolt startled Ronyo and Eddie. Ronyo jumped back several feet, crouched down, and covered his eyes to try to adjust from the flash-bang. Eddie, being in a slightly more adaptable body, shook off the effects as best he could and ran over to check the pikachu.

Sure enough, he had been the target. There was no indication whether he had summoned the bolt himself or had unwittingly made himself a target, but the result was the same: a dazed and confused pikachu lying on the ground.

"Bree umbre umbreon," Eddie muttered, picking the pikachu up by the scruff of his neck and carrying him back to Ronyo.

Eddie set the pikachu down in front of Ronyo who was still blinking his eyes back to normal. He caught sight of the pikachu and smirked. "Okay," he said with a chuckle, "that's adorable."

"Bree?" Eddie said, nonplussed. He glanced down.

The pikachu was also fighting off his own shock by rubbing his cheeks and swaying back and forth.

Ronyo eased forward. "Hey, little guy," he said softly, "you okay?"

The pikachu froze in fear.

"Easy, easy," Ronyo said, keeping calm. "Eddie and I just saw you get hit. You need us to take you into town, get you checked out?"

The pikachu blinked. He turned to Eddie who wagged his tail encouragingly. He turned back to Ronyo, and with a quick "Chaa" of approval, he fainted.

**Day 7: Most adorable pokémon: Pikachu**

_It raises its tail to check its surroundings. The tail is sometimes struck by lightning in this pose._

* * *

The hotel room door opened with a shove, Ronyo staggering into the room. Eddie walked in just behind him, the newly-healed pikachu—dubbed Chris—riding on his back.

Ronyo dumped his backpack in the closet and locked the door. "You guys in for the night?" he asked the other two.

A tired "Chaa" and "Eon" was enough of an answer for him. He sat down on the edge of the bed and tried to muster up the energy to untie his shoes. "Can't believe there was that long of a line at the center," he muttered.

"Ka chaa?" Chris said, pointing at the white noise machine on the bedside table.

Ronyo was sitting on the other side of the bed. He tried to will himself to stand up, but quickly gave up in favor of lying on his back and rolling over to see Chris.

"Go ahead and hit it," he said. He should have been asleep three hours ago anyway, so some white noise could help.

Apparently it wasn't just a white noise machine. It played a soft, melodic "Jiiiiiggly puuuufffff" that quickly filled the room and seemed to soften the atmosphere.

Ronyo snorted. Then giggled. Then collapsed in a fit of laughter. "It's a…" he tried to say, pointing at the machine. "It's a jigglypuff… machine!"

Chris looked at Eddie, fighting off his own drowsiness. "Pika cha pikachu?" he asked, pointing at Ronyo.

Eddie just shook his head. "Bre," he said simply, hopping onto the bed and pulling the covers down.

Ronyo caught the hint and sat up to take his shoes off. "Sorry, guys," he said, still fighting the giggles, "I've been awake too long."

**Day 8: Most amusing pokémon: Jigglypuff**

_It captivates foes with its huge, round eyes, then lulls them to sleep by singing a soothing melody._

* * *

"Let's stop here," Ronyo said. "We're far enough outside Saffron that we can get some training done."

"Bree," Eddie said with a nod. "Umbre umbreon?"

Ronyo pulled out his other two pokéballs, weighing one in each hand. "Put Chris through his paces," he said. "Kid wants us to see him as an athlete, so let's see what he can do." He gently rolled Chris' ball towards Eddie, leaving the actual release up to him. "I'll go fight some rattatas with Zoe."

"Bree um eon," Eddie called, "Eon umbre eon umbreon!"

Ronyo smiled. "Sure, I promise not to let her evolve yet."

He walked a safe distance away from Eddie and Chris. Based on the chatter he could hear… He smirked. That kid was in for a rude awakening.

"Come on out, Zoe!" he called, tossing her pokéball into the air.

The spearow materialized mid-air and quickly caught the air with her wings. "Spear, spearow?"

Ronyo motioned towards a nearby branch. "You joined up to get stronger, right?"

Zoe landed on the branch and turned her head so she could see Ronyo properly out at least one of her eyes. "Spear," she nodded.

"Does that include evolving?"

Zoe kept perfectly still before finally saying, softly, "Ow spear…"

Ronyo smiled wistfully. "Strength isn't all about size, y'know. It can be about will, which you've got plenty of. It can be about wit, which I can help teach you. You can be strong without evolving." He sighed and looked towards the sky, or at least what was visible through the tree canopy. "But I've always envied birds for being able to fly. You don't need contraptions like humans do, and you don't cheat it with sheer force of will like…" He snorted. "Like some legendaries do."

He turned back to look at Zoe and grinned. "Not gonna lie, it'd also be super helpful to be able to fly places, but don't let that factor into your decision."

Zoe rolled her eyes. Her trainer was sometimes too nice for his own good. "Spearow," she said firmly.

Ronyo smiled. "Then let's get go rough up some rattatas." He looked back at Eddie and Chris. "And maybe rough up Chris while we're at it."

**Day 9: Favorite pokémon type: Flying**

* * *

"I challenge you!"

Ronyo looked the young trainer over. Khaki shorts, wide-brimmed hat, butterfly net… Oh, no. "I'd really rather not," Ronyo said with a sheepish grin, continuing his walk south.

The bug catcher was not to be deterred. "You can't just walk away from another trainer! Go, Beedril!"

Ronyo lurched to a stop as the gigantic (to him) bug with its even more gigantic (to him) stingers materialized in his path.

"I'm in no mood for this," he muttered, throwing a pokéball as high as he could. "Zoe, Aerial Ace!"

Zoe materialized 30 feet up and started her dive. Before anyone—trainer or pokémon—could react, the beedril was out of commission on the ground and Zoe was hovering in place on Ronyo's side of the battlefield.

It helped that her wings as a fearow were much larger.

"Nothing personal," Ronyo said, a little more calm now that the danger was past. "I just don't like bugs."

**Day 10: Least favorite pokémon type: Bug**

* * *

"There's no way she'll even get the badges," one of the trainers said.

"Not with an attitude like that," another continued.

Ronyo followed their gaze to the other side of the Vermillion City docks to see a young girl trainer, probably just starting out by the looks of it. Especially given that the pokémon with her was a fennekin, one of the starters from Kalos. The two of them were sitting on a bench, the girl tossing bits of jerky to the pokémon who caught them in midair with a wag of its tail and a shake of its ears.

"That's just not how you treat a pokémon," the first trainer said.

Ronyo snorted and shook his head, not sure whether to be amused or sad.

"You don't think so?" the trainer said.

Ronyo looked up, slightly embarrassed. Sure, he was commenting on their conversation, but he didn't expect them to actually _hear_ said comment. Still…

"What's she doing wrong?" he said.

The trainer raised his eyebrow. "You don't just coddle them, man," he said, slightly incredulous that he even had to explain himself. "They're fighters. You gotta treat them tough."

"They're not there to be friends," the second added.

Ronyo smiled sadly at that, and he and Eddie looked at each other. "Um eon," Eddie said quickly.

Ronyo burst out laughing and went to talk to the girl. She'd probably be better conversation anyway.

**Day 11: Favorite new pokémon: Fennekin**

_As it walks, it munches on a twig in place of a snack. It intimidates opponents by puffing hot air out of its ears._

* * *

Ronyo bent down and looked Chris in the eye. "You're holding back," he said.

The pikachu glared back. "Kaa cha," he spat.

Ronyo ignored the insult. "You've got speed, that's true. And in a normal battle that'll be your advantage. Which means our opponents will fall back on something faster. Eddie, Quick Attack."

Out of nowhere Eddie struck Chris. An outside observer would have only seen a dark blur followed by a pikachu falling to the ground.

Chris shot back to his feet, looking around frantically for the umbreon.

"I've told him to stay out of sight," Ronyo said, his voice flat. "Quick Attack doesn't do much damage, but it does beat a speed advantage. Like yours." He backed away. "Your only option is to endure the hit, block it, or strike first. Quick Attack."

Eddie struck again. Chris stayed down a little longer this time, and when he did get back up his cheeks were sparking in rage.

"That's adorable," Ronyo said, his flat voice betraying his sarcasm. "If you're going to hit me with that, you'll have to go through Eddie. And you can't even see him. Quick Attack."

This time Eddie sent Chris flying to the other end of the clearing.

"Kaa cha!" Chris yelled, another attack charging.

"Endure it, block it, or strike first," Ronyo said again. "Or you can leave."

That took the wind out of Chris' sails. "Chaa?" he asked, not sure if he was being pranked.

"You wanted to be an athlete," Ronyo said. "This is how you become an athlete. You work at it. If you won't do the work, if you won't push yourself, then I can't help you."

He took Chris' pokéball out of his back and set it on the ground.

"Endure it, block it, strike first, or leave," Ronyo said. "Quick Attack."

This time Chris released his electricity, hoping to time it to Eddie's attack. He still got hit, but in the split second afterward he thought he saw Eddie stumble. It was a start. Maybe if he could sense when he crossed his electrical field—

"Quick Attack."

He sensed him coming from his left a split second before he was hit. He shook off the hit and pulled himself up. As much as he hated to admit it, Ronyo was right: it was a weak attack. Which meant he might be able to counter attack with a Tackle. It would take speed, but that was his strength. Steadying himself, he tried to look around the clearing and get ready for the next—

"Quick Attack."

He tensed his hind legs and felt out with his electricity. He felt the field shift to his right, and he lunged.

Ronyo blinked. Instead of a pikachu on his back he saw a pikachu and an umbreon in a heap.

"Knew you could do it," he said with a smile.

**Day 12: Favorite attack: Quick Attack**

_The user lunges at the target at a speed that makes it almost invisible. It is sure to strike first._

* * *

Ronyo tapped his pokédex futilely. "Seriously?" he whined. Muttering to himself, he pulled up the phone app.

"Eon?" Eddie asked, looking up from his lemonade.

"Global Trading System is down," he said. "So I'm calling my boss."

With a bit of a shrug, Eddie turned back to his drink.

The call connected. "Ronyo!" the voice said, "Wasn't expecting to hear from you for a few weeks."

"Eh, you know me, Jared," Ronyo said with a grin. "Can't stay away too long. That and the GTS seems to be down."

"Yeaaaaahhhh," Jared groaned. "Last night's update went south, and there was hard drive failure on the backup."

Ronyo winced. "Ouch. Anything I can do?"

"Naw, it's all Operations right now; we're kinda stuck until they can get at least one machine running. How's the Journey going?"

"Eh, you know, getting rained on, stung, and schooled by 10-year-olds."

"Any badges?"

"Not just yet; I've been trying to build my team first."

"Think you'll go for it?"

Ronyo paused. A week ago he would have declined, content to simply build a team and make a few friends. But the conversation from the Vermillion pier was still echoing in his head."

"I'm actually considering it," he said, half to himself and half to Jared.

"Well, if you do," Jared said, "let me know. One of the big players in Team Game Freak just dropped sponsorship and went to Silph, and marketing is looking for a few small names instead of one big name." Ronyo heard a few finger taps before Jared continued. "Where are you right now?"

"Between Vermillion and Saffron."

"Planning on coming back to Celadon anytime soon?"

"Yeah, I need to grab a few things from the apartment, why?"

"If you can come by the building in the next few days with a badge, I can probably get you a spot on the team."

Ronyo tried to steady his breathing. Sponsorship was what any serious trainer looked for; in addition to the stipend for competing, it also opened doors to other trainers for trades, advice, and the occasional shindig. But…

"Honestly, Jared," Ronyo said, "I like my job. I know I'm taking a break now, but it's just a break."

"That's not a problem," Jared said with a laugh. "We can cut back your hours, or move you to four 10-hour days so you've got the weekends to train. Believe me, I don't want you to quit, either; but it's not out of the question to do both."

Ronyo looked back over to Eddie. "I'll keep you posted."

**Day 13: If you lived in the Pokémon world, what would you be? Programmer**

_Don't quit your day job, amirite?_

* * *

"Okay," Ronyo said to his team. "We're going to have a strategy going into this."

"Bree eon," Eddie snarked, "umbreon."

Ronyo narrowed his eyes at Eddie but ignored the comment. "We'll start with you, Chris," he said, focusing on the pikachu. "Use your speed, get them unfocused. Psychic attacks require focus, so anything we can do to unhinge them will help."

"Bree umbreon," Eddie muttered.

Again Ronyo ignored him. "Zoe," he addressed the fearow, "you have a mean Sand Attack, and that'll help as well. Go in fast, strike hard, and get out."

"Row," she said with a quick nod.

Ronyo finally turned back to Eddie. "You."

"Bree?"

They stared each other down for a moment before Ronyo sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose, and groaned, "And then we send in you because you're immune to ninety percent of their attacks."

"Eon," Eddie said with a smug smile.

**Day 14: If you were a gym leader, what would be your specialty? Psychic**

* * *

Ronyo sat on the hotel bed, holding his new Marsh Badge. It was a simple design—two golden circles—but he couldn't seem to take his eyes off it.

Eddie hopped on the bed with him. He glanced down at the badge then back at Ronyo.

"I know it doesn't look like much, bud," Ronyo said softly. "You were amazing out there, by the way."

"Bree eon," Eddie said.

"Yeah," Ronyo said, reaching over to scratch him, "everyone was. But you're awake now, so you get to hear it. You were awesome."

"Eeeeeon," Eddie said, leaning into the scratch.

After a moment, Eddie motioned back to the badge. "Bree?"

Ronyo chucked. "It's funny," he said. "I've always loved this part of the world. And I've seen a lot of it, you know." Eddie nodded. "But this part always feels like home to me."

He held up the badge. "And this is the closest I've felt to actually belonging here." He sighed deeply. "And I'm a little scared by that."

**Day 15: Favorite region in the pokémon world: Kanto**

* * *

Ronyo walked into his boss' office. "Good to be back," he said with a little edge.

Jared frowned. "Really? Everything all right?"

They sat down, Jared in his chair but turned around to face Ronyo. He leaned back, Ronyo leaned forward. It was a familiar position for them.

"Ran into another punk on the way here from Saffron," Ronyo said. "I mean, not everyone's had an attitude like his, but…" He looked out the window. "There's been far too many trainers that don't seem to care for their pokémon. And I don't like it."

Jared shook his head. "You shouldn't." He took a breath. "By the way," he said with a smirk, "thought about joining the team?"

Ronyo couldn't laugh off the question. "If I joined," he said, trying to keep the tremor out of his voice, "it would be so there would be at least one trainer out there that still viewed the whole thing as a partnership instead of a…" He grimaced. "They're not machines. They're living creatures with thoughts and feelings and desires, and the job of the trainer is to bring out the best of those, not just… breed a fighting machine."

Jared rolled his chair over to the door and closed it. He turned to Ronyo and leaned forward to look him in the eye.

"Why do you think I want you on the team?" he said, his voice lower.

Ronyo was nonplussed. "But… I'm not as competitive as the others. I probably won't get very far in tournaments even if I _get_ to a tournament."

Jared shook his head. "Let the other guys worry about that." He leaned back. "Remember how I said marketing wanted some up-and-comers? There's going to be a lot of young talent on Team Game Freak, and we just lost the most experienced trainer on the team." He closed his eyes and sighed. "And they're going to be representing us." He looked back at Ronyo. "For the sake of the company if nothing else, we need someone a little older on that team to help them train. The _right_ way."

Ronyo started to smile. "So, my job would be…"

Jared rolled his eyes. "Officially, get badges and win tournaments, same as everyone else. Unofficially, be the wisdom. The guy the new guys go to for advice. The one that calls out the team on being stupid." He cocked his head. "I can't say 'captain,' but maybe 'first mate'?"

Ronyo nodded. "Get in a position to make a difference," he said. At Jared's nod, he took a deep breath and considered his options.

"Where do I sign?"

**Day 16: If you could live anywhere in the Pokemon world, where would it be?  
Celadon City**

* * *

"So here we are," Ronyo said, sitting on the floor of his apartment. Chris was seated across from him, Eddie was off to the side, and Zoe was perched on the back of a chair. "We've been going for a while," he said, "and with me joining Team Game Freak, it could mean some changes. Things could get more competitive."

He smirked. "I don't think either of you—" He motioned to Zoe and Chris. "—will complain, but I need to make sure: Are you two in?"

"Kachu, pika," Chris said quickly.

Zoe nodded. "Fe fear, ow fearow."

"Friends," Ronyo said with a smile, grateful for the support. He looked at Eddie, who nodded. Ronyo nodded back and took a deep breath to steady himself. He tried to ignore the shaking in his hands and continued.

"If you are my friends," he said, his voice starting to shake, "then there's something you should know." He glanced at the shuttered window, then over to the locked door. "I haven't had much of a chance to show you guys, but…"

He took a deep breath, and _changed._

His body glowed beneath his clothes, not as brightly as if he was evolving, but still enough to remove any detail besides his silhouette. He shrunk down, his arms, legs, and head retreating into his short sleeved t-shirt and a long, thin tail growing out the back. The glow faded to a fine, pink fur.

He shuffled around inside the shirt, trying and failing to get it off of him before he finally fell over with an angry "Mew!" of indignation.

Eddie sighed and walked over. «This happened the last time he transformed too,» he said in his own language, gripping the t-shirt and helping to pull it off the mew.

Chris was completely dumbfounded. He knew from the stories he grew up hearing that the small, unassuming cat-like pokémon in front of him was one of the pokémon that had helped shape the world. He knew that his trainer had just turned into it, at least if his senses were still working and this wasn't a hallucination brought on by a fermented oran berry. He knew that the logical conclusion was that his trainer was that pokémon. He just couldn't quite process it.

«What?» he said.

Zoe majestically flew to the ground and bowed. «At your service, Your Honor,» she said.

Ronyo bent down to her level. «Zoe,» he said, «you're still my friend. That makes you family, and family doesn't bow.»

«Except for that one time, apparently,» Eddie said with a grin, walking up and licking Ronyo's face.

«Wait,» Chris said, his brain finally catching up, «He's Mew? And you_knew_?»

«_A_ mew; there's more than one. And of course I knew!» Eddie said. «We lived together for two weeks before this Journey actually started.»

«Which reminds me,» Ronyo said, drawing himself up to full height—all one foot of it—and motioning for the others to do the same.

«I'm in this for two reasons,» he said. «One, to help all of you be the best you can be, whatever that looks like. Two, to help show other trainers what it means to have partners, to have trainers and pokémon bring out the best in each other.»

He looked wistfully into the middle distance. «I still don't really know what my place in this world is yet, but I figure it can't hurt to try making it a better place now.» He looked back to his team. «Are you guys with me?»

Eddie led the charge on the group hug. Everyone participated.

**Day 17: If you could be any Pokémon, what would you be? Mew**

_Its DNA is said to contain the genetic codes of all Pokémon, so it can use all kinds of techniques._

* * *

Ronyo inhaled deeply. "Ah, Cerulean City," he said with a grin.

"Sweet!" a young trainer next to him said. "Let's go!"

Ronyo held out his arm to stop him. "And just where are we going, Dack?"

Dack grinned back. "Take on Misty, of course! Cascade Badge here we come!"

Ronyo shook his head. "Not yet, we're not."

"But…" Dack motioned at imaginary objects. "Pikachu. Water types. Type advatage. Profit!"

Ronyo smirked back. "Just caught and hasn't been trained. Water and psychic type. Much higher level than your pikachu. Fail."

Dack sighed. "Training?"

Ronyo nodded. "Training." He chucked to himself. "I can have Eddie work with him on Quick Attack."

**Day 18: Favorite Gym Leader: Misty**

* * *

Ronyo leaned against the railing of Vermillion pier and took a deep breath of the sea air. "This…" he said, motioning at the ship docking at the end of the pier. "This is why I joined the team."

Eddie cocked his head. «To see the girl you've got a crush on?» he said with a smile.

Ronyo scratched the back of his head and blushed. "I mean, who wouldn't? She's been a member of the Elite Four since forever, yet she still takes time to go meet with the people in her hometown."

Eddie nodded. «True.» He gave Ronyo a sidelong glance. «But you _do_ think she's cute, right?»

Ronyo sighed. "No. Comment," he said with a smile.

«How would that even work, anyway?»

Ronyo's face fell. "It wouldn't."

Eddie's ears fell flat. «Sorry, Boss; I…»

Ronyo crouched down and gave Eddie a scratch. "No big, buddy. Doesn't mean I can't make friends."

The crowd arrived from the docked boat. Ronyo stood up and waved.

A tall woman with purple hair and nearly opaque glasses stepped towards him. "Ronyo Glover?"

Ronyo held out his hand. "Great to meet you, Lorelei. Thanks for taking the time to meet with the team."

**Day 19: Favorite Elite 4 member: Lorelei**

* * *

"Seems like a pretty good deal," Ronyo said, looking around at the lab. "Get a starter, a pokédex, and space for your reserves, all for free." He turned back to look at Professor Oak. "I don't know how you do it."

Oak grinned. "Grants. Interns writing for grants."

Ronyo grinned back. "So slave labor?"

Oak laughed. "Please. It's providing a public service. Beginning trainers need access to these resources without having to sell their soul to one of the teams." He glanced up at Ronyo's Game Freak hat and added, "No offense, of course."

Ronyo waved it off. "None taken. I only joined up two months ago, and I'm really more of an ambassador than a trainer."

Oak smiled knowingly. "Of course you are," he said.

Ronyo tried to ignore the comment, but… "What do you mean?"

Oak looked around to make sure they were alone. "We've got very pervasive scanning equipment here. Have to keep tabs on all the pokémon running around after all."

Ronyo paled, and despite his attempts to keep cool, glanced around for an exit.

Oak noticed this and held his hands up. "Don't worry," he said quickly, "We have strict confidentiality in place." He lowered his hands and smiled genuinely. "It's always an honor to have a visitor."

Ronyo took a deep breath and tried to relax. "I'm touring the area," he said, trying to get back into the conversation. "How could I not swing by?"

"Thank you," Oak said with a nod. He looked around. "Do you want to see the new equipment we just got in from Orre?"

They were interrupted by Eddie bounding up, carrying a vulpix by the scruff of its neck. He set the vulpix down and said, «Can we keep her?»

«Is your trainer always this tall?» the vulpix said with an odd lilt.

Ronyo glared at Eddie. "What did you tell her?"

Eddie grinned back. «Nothing.»

"That would be Toni," Oak said. "Obviously, I don't speak the language," he said with a glance at Ronyo, "but she does seem to be unusually perceptive. Might have some lucario somewhere in her family tree."

Ronyo sighed. "Is she up for adoption?"

**Day 20: Favorite Pokémon professor: Oak**

* * *

"Nice shorts," Ronyo said to the young trainer.

"Thanks, mister!" the kid said. "Are you a trainer too?"

Ronyo shrugged. "Sometimes."

The kid pulled out a pokéball. "Well, I just traded my ratatta for this awesome pokémon!"

"Alright then," Ronyo said. "I've got a new vulpix to train too." He looked back to where Toni was riding on Eddie's back. "C'mon up, Toni!"

"Vul!" she yelled as she charged forward, ready for her first battle.

"Go, Zigzagoon!" the youngster yelled, throwing out the pokéball.

The zigzagoon materialized, though the flash from the ball seemed darker than usual.

Toni shrank back, suddenly unsure of this battle.

Ronyo's blood froze. He narrowed his eyes. Quickly, he held his left hand to his eye and whispered, "Aura Sight."

He inhaled sharply. He felt the blood drain from his face, and he shook his head and hands sharply to keep from fainting.

"Toni," he said sharply, "get back. Eddie, you're up. Quick Attack, and stay alert."

Toni didn't need to be told twice to retreat. Eddie picked up on Ronyo's seriousness and used it to push past the fear threatening to paralyze him. In the blink of an eye, the zigzagoon was on the ground.

With an unnatural screech, the zigzagoon got to its feet. Without waiting for an order, it charged Eddie. Eddie braced himself. The hit was sloppy and ended up hurting the zigzagoon more than Eddie. Eddie immediately followed up with a Feint Attack, knocking it out.

The youngster was close to tears. "I don't understand," he said.

Ronyo calmed himself as best he could and knelt down to look the kid in the eye. "What's your name?"

"Joey, sir."

"Joey, I'm Ronyo." He glanced back at the fainted zigzagoon. "You've got a special pokémon there."

Joey gulped back his tears. "You're afraid of him."

Busted. "You need to take very good care of him," Ronyo said, doing his best to deflect the accusation. "He needs a good trainer that can be a good friend. Can you do that?"

Joey nodded. "I don't have to let him go?"

"No!" Ronyo said, a little too quickly. "No, just take really good care of him. And if he…" He glanced back. "If he loses control like that again, just call out to him. He'll listen to you." He took a breath. "Do you know who Professor Oak is?"

Joey's eyes lit up. "Yeah! He's got this really cool lab in Pallet Town!"

Ronyo smiled back. "When you get the chance, take Zigzagoon to see Professor Oak. I'll give him a call and let him know you're coming."

The kid steeled himself with purpose. "Zigzagoon, return," he announced, recalling his pokémon. "I'll go there right away, Mr. Ronyo!"

Ronyo nodded. "Thank you, Joey. You're a good trainer."

Joey nodded back and took off running towards the south. Ronyo watched him carefully. As soon as he was a good ways away, Ronyo bolted for the tree line at the side of the route.

Eddie, preoccupied with keeping Toni calm, didn't notice until Ronyo was nearly off the route.

«He's afraid,» Toni said, her voice wavering.

Eddie nodded. «We should go help him. Hop on.»

She climbed on his back and bit hard on the scruff of his neck. Once he was sure she was in place, Eddie ran after Ronyo. They reached the tree line ten full seconds after Ronyo did, but only his backpack was immediately visible.

Eddie sniffed it to be sure it was the right one. «Where'd he go?» he muttered.

«The tree…» Toni said, motioning to the tree directly in front of them. She bit back down, and Eddie, with a running start, climbed straight up the trunk to the first large branch they saw, about twelve feet up.

Ronyo was there, a small pink ball of fur huddled against itself and shivering.

The branch was big enough for Toni to walk on, but Eddie's larger size kept him at the junction with the trunk. Toni hopped off and approached Ronyo, rubbing her head against his and giving his cheek a lick.

«You're not always this small,» she said softly.

Ronyo uncurled himself and looked at them. ::Sorry,:: he said to their minds, not trusting his voice enough to speak normally. ::Never thought I'd see one of them here. I'm scared…::

«What was it?» Eddie asked, slightly afraid of the answer.

Ronyo took a deep breath and looked Eddie in the eyes. «A shadow pokémon,» he said out loud. «A pokémon twisted and corrupted by an inhumane process to be more aggressive, more feral, and—to the right people—more easily controlled.» He took another breath and stood on the branch. «No idea what they're doing here, though…»

**Day 21: Favorite bad guys: Team Cipher**

* * *

The brown-haired man—barely drinking age—tapped his finger on the paper in front of him. "You know I'm retired, right?" he said.

Ronyo didn't smile. "I know you stopped, Gary; I didn't realize you were done."

"Why wouldn't I be done?" Gary said with a flick of his wrist. "The whole game now is a race to the bottom. In order to be the least bit competitive, I'd have to… sell my soul."

"That's why I need you on my team," Ronyo said earnestly. "People need someone better to look up to than…" He motioned to a nearby newsstand, a popular trainer's face adorning one of the magazines. "…him."

"So why don't you be that person?" Gary said, taking a sip of his drink. "From what I hear you're not too shabby of a trainer yourself."

"Even if I could," Ronyo sighed, "I'd still want you on the team." He leaned in and dropped his voice. "I saw a fresh trainer with a shadow pokémon the other day."

Gary didn't flinch. "Gramps told me," he said.

Ronyo leaned back. "I haven't found the source yet. I've got my suspicions—Rocket and Cipher, probably—but nothing concrete." He ran a hand through his hair. "Point is, I need more good guys in the system."

He tapped the paper in front of Gary. "Sign with Game Freak, don't sign; honestly, I don't care. But please, get back in the game. At least part-time."

**Day 22: Favorite Rival: Gary Oak**

* * *

Ronyo shut the door to his apartment and unceremoniously dropped his laptop bag next to the door. "That was fun," he said, the sarcasm painfully evident.

«Ronyo…» Eddie said tensely from the living room.

Ronyo inhaled sharply. He walked quickly to the living room and saw Eddie tensed and alert on the carpet locked in a staring contest with an espeon balanced on the balcony's railing outside.

«She's been here for an hour,» Eddie said just loud enough to hear, barely moving.

Ronyo exhaled in relief. "She's a friend, don't worry," he said, walking over and opening the balcony door.

The espeon gracefully hopped down and ran up to Eddie, smelling him over and giving him a full inspection. Eddie, for his part, sat there completely still.

After a few seconds, the espeon turned to Ronyo and cocked her head.

"He knows," Ronyo said with a nod, turning to close the blinds.

The espeon curled in on herself, then started to glow. In a flash, she transformed into another mew, though a bit lighter and sleeker than Ronyo's shaggier form. ::I didn't know you had a guard,:: she projected with a laugh.

"I don't," Ronyo said, collapsing onto the couch. "I've got a great friend, though. Kara, meet Eddie; he's my starter. Eddie, this is my friend Kara from…" He shook his head, considering his words. "From back home."

Eddie nodded at Kara. «Sorry for the suspicion,» he said. «Things are a little dangerous at the moment.»

Kara's ears drooped. ::I know what you mean,:: she said. She looked at Ronyo. ::I had to be sure you were ok.::

"I'm fine," Ronyo said with a grin. "We've only been battling on the weekends."

She floated up to get on eye level with Ronyo. ::And you're being careful when you see them?::

Ronyo exhaled slowly. He opened his mouth to answer, then closed it. He held up a finger, then got up from the couch and quickly began unbuttoning his shirt.

«What?» Kara said.

Eddie laughed. «He's got a problem with shirts,» he explained.

Ronyo smiled. "What he said," he said, pulling his shirt off and quickly transforming. He floated over to Kara and gave her a hug.

«Mostly they've been with trainers that didn't realize what they had,» he said softly. «We haven't run into anyone really dangerous yet.»

Kara hugged him tighter at that. «Let's hope you don't,» she whispered. Abruptly, she released him and flew over to the couch, landing with a bounce.

«Enough of that,» she said brightly. «Got anything to eat?»

Ronyo shot over to the kitchen and pulled a pair of styrofoam cups each nearly a third as big as he was out of a top cabinet. «Ever had ramen noodles?»

**Day 23: A pokémon that reminds you of a friend: Espeon**

_Its fur is so sensitive, it can feel minute shifts in the air and predict the weather…and its foes' thoughts._

* * *

Ronyo walked out of the Game Corner and across the street to where Eddie was waiting with a brown-haired girl he didn't recognize. At least not at first.

He squinted at her, his mouth half open. "Kara?" he finally ventured.

She smiled. "Took you long enough."

Ronyo grinned. "You look cute."

She waved her eyelashes at him dramatically. "You are," she said.

«So what'd you get?» Eddie said, desperate to change the subject.

Ronyo smirked and tossed a pokéball. "Finally got a porygon," he said. "No idea if I'll use it in battle, but it'll come in handy at work."

Eddie perked up. «So let's see him!»

Ronyo nodded. He checked the vicinity to make sure there was room to release it, and tossed the ball. "Come on out, Porygon!"

The porygon was released with a dark-tinged flash.

Kara backed up immediately, and Eddie tensed.

Ronyo for his part swallowed his fear as best he could. He covered an eye and used Aura Sight to confirm, but he already knew he had gotten a shadow pokémon. Running wasn't an option this time; this was his pokémon and therefore his responsibility to purify.

Steeling himself, he knelt down to look the porygon in the eye. "Hello, friend," he said. "Do you have a name?"

The porygon shimmered. "I am unit 021F," it said in what sounded like a computer-generated voice. "I am at your service."

Ronyo allowed himself to smile. "Nice to meet you, Unit 021F." He thought for a second. "Would you like a name?"

"Alternate designation not required," it said. "Unit 021F is your servant."

"I don't want a servant, Unit 021F," Ronyo said gently. "I'm looking for a new friend. So if you want a name, I would be happy to give you one."

The porygon floated in place for a tense moment. Finally, it shimmered and said, slightly more organically, "I am Flynn."

Ronyo chuckled softly. "Kevin Flynn?"

"Yes," Kevin said. "Research indicates he is an important figure to computer programs."

"Even though he's a fictional character?"

"Reality of his existence is irrelevant," Flynn said, closing his eyes.

Ronyo actually laughed this time. He motioned towards the others. "By the way, this is Eddie and Kara; also friends of mine."

Flynn nodded his head towards them. "It is a pleasure to meet you," he stated.

Eddie sat down, the hair on the back of his neck still raised. Kara managed a weak wave.

Flynn turned toward Ronyo and said, "You are my… friend?"

Ronyo sobered up. "Yes, Flynn," he said, "I'm your friend, or at least I'd like to be."

Flynn blinked. "Research indicates the relationship term 'friend' carries the connotation of unconditional acceptance regardless of… defects. Does this apply here?"

Ronyo was nonplussed for a second. "Yes…" he finally managed. "You will still be my friend even if you have… defects."

Flynn closed his eyes. "My code has been corrupted by an outside force," he said. "This corruption will result in a seventy percent reduction in reliability in battle, and a forty percent increase in chance of causing harm to you."

Ronyo exhaled. Apparently his new pokémon was self-aware to a fault. "Thank you for trusting me, Flynn," he said.

"You're not the only one," Kara spoke up. "And we're working on a way to fix pokémon like you."

Flynn shimmered. "Thank you," he said.

**Day 24: A pokémon you'd find useful in real life: Porygon**

_A Pokémon that consists entirely of programming code. It is capable of moving freely in cyberspace._

* * *

"You're sure about this?" Ronyo said, the faint red glow of the Fire Stone leaking out between his fingers.

«Positive, Captain!» Toni said with a grin, her many tails wagging behind her.

Ronyo looked over to the others. Zoe was her usual stoic self, observing with all the respect the event deserved. Eddie was also paying rapt attention, though Ronyo could see the telltale signs of him trying very hard—and almost succeeding—to not wag his tail. Flynn was as unreadable as ever. And Chris was…

"Chris!" Ronyo reprimanded, "Not the time to groom yourself!"

Chris looked up and his cheeks got even redder with embarrassment. «Sorry, Toni.»

Toni didn't lose her grin. «Drop it when you're ready, Captain,» she said.

Ronyo smiled and placed the fire stone on her head. She glowed brightly and hotly, Ronyo stepping back to avoid the heat. She grew until she was slightly taller than Eddie, though the sheer volume of her nine tails could rival him on their own. The glow of evolution faded, but her fur had a glow all its own.

She shook her head and looked around, her tails swaying gently.

"How do you feel?" Ronyo said.

She looked at him and yelped, «Shiny!» She ran over to the others and playfully shoved Eddie. «Eddie, I'm shiny!» she said.

"Technically," Flynn said in his monotone, "a shiny pokémon is one with—"

«Not now,» Zoe said, cuffing the back of the porygon's head with her wing.

Ronyo smiled. "Induced evolution causes an excess energy buildup," he muttered. Louder, he called, "Toni, let's burn off some of that energy. Flynn, you too."

The two pokémon set up for the mock battle. "Toni," Ronyo advised from off to the side, "use fire attacks. They have these dirt fields for a reason, and you need to learn how a ninetails attacks." He turned to the other end. "Flynn, use Conversion to try and withstand the fire, then Tackle if you can." He glanced over the field again before yelling, "Begin!"

Toni started out with an Ember attack. Flynn endured the attack and heated up slightly but didn't seem too bothered by it. He charged up for a Tackle, but before he could perform it Toni hit him with a Quick Attack.

Flynn saw red.

Ronyo didn't need Aura Sight to know that Flynn was completely enraged. Before he could warn Toni, Flynn had immediately charged her with Shadow Rush, a haphazard attack native to shadow pokémon that did just as much damage to the attacker as the defender.

"Flynn, focus!" Ronyo yelled firmly.

Flynn stopped and shimmered in place. Finally, he bowed to Toni. "I apologize," he said.

«No worries,» Toni said, her good mood not fading. «I can go all day!»

"Maybe you should," Ronyo said. "Flynn, take a break. Chris, you're up!"

The pikachu shot over to the battlefield as Flynn calmly floated over to Ronyo. Ronyo gave some more instructions to the combatants and left them to their work.

"How are you, Flynn," he said quietly, looking the porygon in the eye.

Flynn shimmered. "I have isolated the corruption in my code," he announced. "However, I regret to inform you that I am unable to remove it on my own." He cocked his head. "Could you view my code and repair it?"

Ronyo shook his head. "I wouldn't dream of being able to work with your code," he said. "But the good news is I don't have to." He looked towards the north, Mount Moon barely visible in the distance. "Kara's been working on a shrine that can purify shadow pokémon that have…" He looked back at Flynn with a smirk. "That have isolated the corruption. She's almost done, so if it's alright with you, we'll take you there tomorrow. If you don't mind being a beta tester, of course." He chucked at his own joke and finished, "If not, Professor Oak has a Purification Machine he just got from Orre that will do the same thing."

Flynn nodded. "I do not mind being a test subject," he said. "If it is safe."

"No worries there," Ronyo said. "We'll get you fixed first thing tomorrow."

**Day 25: A pokémon based on your favorite animal: Ninetails**

_It has nine long tales and fur that gleams gold. It is said to live for 1,000 years._

* * *

«I'm glad we were able to find this place,» Kara said, telekinetically adjusting a gargantuan moon stone.

«No kidding,» Ronyo said, clearing away some underbrush. «With Kanto being so developed, it's hard to find a patch of wilderness we can stick an 'ancient shrine' in.»

«I don't know,» she said with a grin, «we could always have one underground…»

«Are you kidding?» Ronyo said. «Look at my little paws! I can't dig worth anything with these.»

"Anyone here?" a voice called from the nearby river.

Ronyo flew over to the river to see a blue lapras carrying a very familiar professor. "Is that you, Ronyo?" Oak said with a wave.

::That's me!:: Ronyo said, switching to telepathy for the benefit of the professor. ::Glad you could make it!::

"I was honored to be invited," Oak said with a gentle smile. He stepped off the lapras and petted it on the neck. "Thank you for the lift, Nessie."

Nessie crooned in return.

Oak turned to Ronyo. "I hope it's alright if I brought a friend along," he said. "But she said she had some experience with purification shrines."

Ronyo's eyes widened. ::Oh, no…::

Oak frowned. "Is there a problem?"

A series of excited "Meeew"s and "Briiii"s could be heard from the shrine.

::They're BFFs,:: Ronyo deadpanned. ::And they haven't seen each other in months.::

At Oak's confused expression, Ronyo sighed. ::No, there's no problem; Kara and Celebi are actually really good friends. I was…:: He waved his hands, ::making a bad joke.:: Without waiting to see Oak's reaction, he started floating back towards the shrine.

Kara the mew was talking excitedly with a green fairy-like pokémon, the two of them flying around checking on the various aspects of the shrine. Seeing Ronyo and Oak, the two flew over to them.

Celebi attacked Ronyo with an aggressive hug. ::Ronyo!:: she said, ::I haven't seen you in forever!::

::And whose fault is that?:: Ronyo said with a smirk, ::You're the time traveller.::

Celebi stuck her tongue out at him and turned to Oak. ::Everything looks to be in order; we're ready to test it.::

::That's my cue,:: Ronyo said, flying over to his backpack. He tapped Flynn's pokéball with his tail to release the porygon.

Flynn scanned the area. "Is this the shrine?" he said. "Its basic design appears similar to available images of the shrine in Orre."

::That's correct,:: Ronyo said. He motioned toward the center stone. ::We've got the architect of the original here as well, and we're ready for you if you are.::

Flynn nearly flew over to the stone. "This corruption is a constant torment," he said firmly. "I am ready to be rid of it."

Ronyo nodded to Kara. She motioned toward the activation stone. ::You have to be the one to do it, Trainer,:: she said.

Ronyo flew over to the stone, made eye contact with Flynn, and activated the shrine.

After seeing an evolution just yesterday, the brief flash from Flynn was almost anticlimactic.

Except for what came after.

The porygon shimmered in place for a few seconds before exclaiming in a much more organic voice, "Wow!"

Ronyo flew over to him. ::How do you feel?::

"I am operating at full capacity for the first time," he said with an audible grin. "The corruption was preventing me from acquiring new techniques; I believe I am capable of performing a psybeam now." He bowed his head. "Thank you, friend."

Ronyo bumped his head against him. ::Thank _you_, friend.::

**Day 26: A pokémon that is your favorite color: Lapras**

_They have gentle hearts. Because they rarely fight, many have been caught. Their number has dwindled._

* * *

Ronyo, looking human for the moment, leaned back against the retaining wall between the houses and beach. "You know," he said to Kara, "I wasn't sure at first when they said they were developing the Sevii Islands, but they seem to have done pretty well with them."

Kara nodded. "I hear there's a moltres that hangs out here."

"Hmm," Ronyo said, taking a sip of his water. "We should go say hi," he said flatly.

"Eventually," Kara said, equally flat.

Neither of them moved.

The waves quietly broke over the beach. They were facing north, so the sun was setting off to the side. Eddie and Toni were frolicking in the surf and basically enjoying themselves.

Ronyo felt something brush his hand. He glanced down to see Kara's hand had made its way over to his, her pinkie finger just touching his.

He looked at her. They made eye contact for a few seconds before she blushed and looked away with a smile.

Ronyo tried to steady himself. She was giving him a choice. Just like she always had…

He reached over and took her hand in his. She looked at him, slightly surprised but still smiling. He smiled back and squeezed her hand a little harder.

"Hey," he said with a lopsided grin.

"Hey," she said.

**Day 27: Favorite Pokémon game: FireRed/LeafGreen**

* * *

Ronyo didn't know why he kept reading interviews with that guy. They always made his blood boil. It never ended well. And he kept going back.

This time he was saved by his phone ringing. With an angry sigh he closed the browser tab and picked up his phone. "Hello, Gary," he said.

"Hey, Ronyo," Gary said, sounding equally testy. "I take it you've been reading Seimei's latest hot air?"

"I was thinking of putting some of it on the lawn to help the grass grow, myself."

Gary snorted. "Well, I've got two conditions."

Ronyo felt his anticipation build. "What are they?"

"One, you help get me back in shape to enter the tournament in two months and take. Him. Down."

Ronyo grinned. "Done. And the other?"

"If you leave, I leave."

Ronyo blinked. "I… I appreciate that. I can try to make sure your contract has an exit clause for 'significant personnel changes' or something, would that work?"

"That would. Email it to me and I'll sign it."

Ronyo smiled. "Welcome to Team Game Freak, Gary."

"Thanks." Ronyo heard him shuffle on the other side of the phone. "Let me be clear, I'm joining your team; Game Freak just happens to be the sponsor."

Ronyo took a deep breath. "That means a lot to me," he said. After a moment, he said, "So was it just Seimei that made you want to get back in?"

"That and Gramps helped me connect some of the dots."

Ronyo felt the blood drain from his face. Again. "What dots?" he said, trying to feign ignorance.

"Let's just say you weren't as covert as you thought talking to your team."

Ronyo sighed. "Well, I'm not really allowed to play favorites, so—"

"I'm not looking for any favors," Gary interrupted. "Well, maybe if you could help my team train against some of the… rarer pokémon out there, but it's not an issue if that's not your thing." He paused. "It's more that someone like you believes in someone like me."

Ronyo exhaled in relief. "Thanks. Again." He checked his calendar. "Oak Labs this Friday, bright and early?"

**Day 28: What did you nickname your rival? Seimei**

* * *

There was a 15-minute intermission between the conclusion of the championship battle and the awarding of the trophy. This gave the two combatants time to revive and heal their battered pokémon. Knocked out pokémon don't look good in photos after all.

The last pokémon standing was Gary's umbreon, his starter, barely managing to edge out Seimei's dragonite. His very aggressive dragonite.

Ronyo pushed through the crowds to get to the railing separating the stands from the playing field. The current Elite Four and other league officials were on the field preparing for the trophy presentation.

"Lorelei!" Ronyo yelled, trying to be heard above the stadium's soundtrack, a popular rap song listing the first pokémon of the region to be categorized.

She didn't seem to hear him. She stood in a rather apathetic stance next to the other Elite Four while the one in a cape talked rather bombastically.

"Lorelei!" he yelled again. No response. He looked back towards his seats. Kara looked back. Ronyo shook his head—what more could he do? Kara grimaced and tapped her head quickly.

Ronyo sighed and nodded. It was risky, but alerting her was more important than his cover.

"Lorelei!" he yelled, but this time he added a psychic suggestion to it targeted at Lorelei. Just enough to get her to…

She turned around. "Ronyo!" she called back, smiling and waving.

Ronyo didn't smile back. "The dragonite is from Orre!" he yelled. Not entirely true; it was probably raised from a dratini native to Kanto, but that wasn't the important part. "The dragonite is from Orre!"

Lorelei blinked, confused. Then Ronyo's words sunk in. It was hard to tell what she was thinking thanks to her opaque glasses, but she quickly turned around and started barking orders, gesturing frantically at the knocked out dragonite in the middle of the field.

The knocked out dragonite that a field hand was in the process of reviving.

**Day 29: Favorite Pokémon song: PokéRap**

* * *

The shadow dragonite screeched, and the stadium fell silent. It scanned the field until it saw its enemy: Gary's umbreon that knocked it out. With another war cry, it charged.

Gary's umbreon leapt out of Gary's arms and stood between him and the charging dragonite. With the eye of a seasoned battler, he judged the distance between him and the approaching enemy, ready to counter attack at the right time. Whether he got hurt or not was beside the point; Gary needed to be protected more, and the dragonite wasn't in any state to care about innocent bystanders. He tensed, and watched the approach carefully.

He wasn't prepared to have the dragonite body slammed off course by a dark blur.

The dragonite crashed into the ground, carving a furrow three times as long as its body. Gary's umbreon looked back to see another umbreon, apparently his savior, standing there. «Cousin,» Gary's umbreon said with a nod.

The other umbreon darted over to him. «Cousin,» he acknowledged. «I'm Eddie; I'm here to help guard your trainer.»

«What about your trainer?»

Eddie smirked. «He's on his way,» he said.

Across the field, Lorelei was doing her level best to keep everyone safe. She'd never seen a shadow pokémon in person, but she knew enough about them to know it was no laughing matter to have one out of control like this.

"Get everyone to the stands," she ordered a nearby field hand. "The force fields should keep them safe. Go!"

Seeing her orders being followed, she scanned the field for Seimei. He hadn't moved from his position on the field, and she couldn't tell if it was because of shock or elation. Either way, she ran over to him to knock some sense into him.

"Seimei!" she called. He blinked, but otherwise didn't acknowledge her. "Call out to it," she continued. "You're its trainer; you can stop it!"

"Nothing can stop him," Seimei said in a daze. "He's too powerful."

"Really?" Lorelei said, "Because if I remember correctly, you just lost."

_That_ got his attention. He turned to face her and bellowed, "One! Lucky! Shot!" He pointed to her, his finger uncomfortably close to her face. "I alone understand a pokémon's true power, but now…" His face twisted into a manic grin. "All of you will understand."

Lorelei sighed. "Power is irrelevant," she said evenly. "True strength is more than just power." She tried one more time. "It's not too late; call him to you, calm him down, and don't endanger anyone else."

Seimei turned back to the fight between his dragonite and the two umbreons. "It's too late for you," he said. "Now you will see and understand what pokémon are truly capable of. For too long we have treated them like pets, like companions. We have believed—falsely—that for them to improve we must coddle them and protect them. True power, true growth, can only come through hardship and pain!"

Lorelei was only half paying attention at this point. A mew—a mew!—was floating up behind Seimei. It made eye contact with her and held a paw to its mouth.

Stall him? She could do that. "So I suppose you give them pain, then?" she said.

Seimei smiled. "I give them strength! I push them to their limits and then push harder. I work every last drop of weakness out of them until there is nothing left but strength."

The mew was right behind him now. "And what about the weak ones?" Lorelei asked, not wanting to hear the answer.

"Evolution is in the nature of pokémon," Seimei said. "Those that have no strength have no place."

::And that's enough from you,:: a voice said in Seimei and Lorelei's minds. In the blink of an eye, the mew flew around and rested both of its paws on Seimei's forehead.

::**Sleep.**::

The psychic command was so powerful Lorelei had to fight off a sudden onset of drowsiness. Seimei, being the target, instantly slumped to the ground.

The mew turned to Lorelei. ::You've got ice types, right?::

Lorelei nodded, a little dumbstruck. There was a mew. And it was talking to her.

The mew frowned. It flew over to her and waved its paw in front of her eyes. ::I didn't put you to sleep, did I?::

Lorelei blinked and shook her head. "No… no, I just…" A mew. Talking to her.

The mew smiled. ::We can have a good laugh about this later, but right now we need to immobilize that dragonite. Ice types beat dragon types, so we need your help.::

Lorelei shook the last of the cobwebs out of her head. With a nod, she pulled out a pokéball. "Freeze it in place?"

::Right!:: The mew said, flying off to join the battle. The dragonite was occupied with the two umbreon; that was good. On the other hand, it was starting to get more aggressive with its attacks, and at its high level, the attacks were starting to strain the force field.

Somehow it sensed the newcomer to the battle. The dragonite turned to the mew, its eyes full of nothing but pain and rage. With a wordless scream it started charging.

The mew stopped short. It knew a Hyper Beam when it saw one, and in this state it was going to be deadly for anything in its path.

Except a legendary.

Maybe.

The mew drew the dragonite's focus upwards and shot into the sky. If nothing else, it could force the dragonite to fire into the sky. It also prepared an Endure: a technique that could allow it to (barely) survive. If it pulled it off.

No time to think about that. The Hyper Beam was ready to fire. The mew couldn't dodge, it had to Endure. For good measure, it surrounded itself in a pink bubble of energy, often the signature response of its kind.

::Need some help, Ronyo?:: a voice said in his mind.

The beam was firing, and all of Ronyo's focus was on blocking the energy. As it hit, he felt a warm presence in his mind as rainbow-colored energy strengthened his shield. The attack lasted three full seconds, but the shield held.

Tired, but not as exhausted as he was afraid he would be, Ronyo turned around. ::Hey, Auntie.::

Ho-Oh crooned a happy note. ::Hello yourself, Defender,:: she said with a smile. ::Mind if I join the fray?::

::Come on down!:: Ronyo said, the two of them flying back down.

The Hypber Beam had left the dragonite temporarily weakened, and everyone was taking advantage of it. The two umbreons were joined by a ninetails and were focusing on its back. A pikachu riding a fearow were attempting some arial strikes (with plenty of acrobatics involved). A dewgong and cloyster (presumably Lorelei's) were busy freezing its legs in place, and—

::Ronyo!:: Kara said, flying headlong into him. ::Don't ever do something that stupid again!:: she said, whacking the back of his head with her tail.

::Scold me later,:: Ronyo said, knowing full well he'd get scolded later. ::How're we doing?::

::Our best bet is to get him to sleep,:: Kara said, ::and we've got help on the way for that. If we can keep him down until then…::

Ronyo nodded. ::Barrier?::

::Barrier,:: Kara confirmed. ::Back of the neck.::

The two mews focused their energy on the back of the dragonite's neck, trying to force it down. It swiped with its claws, but the immaterial force was impossible to bat away. With its top being force and its legs encased in ice, it quickly fell over.

With a shrill battle cry, Celebi entered the stadium. ::Everybody back!:: she said to the combatants. ::Sleep Powder.::

Eddie and the other ground-bound pokémon sneezed, but the majority of the incoming powder was focused on the dragonite. It yelled and screeched, but in its exceptional rage it couldn't focus enough to pull off a real attack. And the more it yelled, the more of the sleep powder it inhaled. Slowly, but surely, it succumbed to the effects, and with an anticlimactic nod, it fell asleep.

**Day 30: Most nostalgic element of Pokémon: (1/2) The pantheon of legendaries**

* * *

Ronyo batted away a couple of ants with his tail and leaned back against Eddie's side. «I'll be honest,» he said, «when I asked whether you wanted to take on the world with me, I wasn't expecting that.»

«Neither was I,» Eddie said, flicking his ear, «but it wouldn't have been an adventure otherwise.»

The two sat in companionable silence for a bit before Eddie spoke up again. «Do you think there's any more shadow pokémon out there?»

«Definitely,» Ronyo said. «But there won't be for long.»

Eddie turned to look at him. «How so?»

Ronyo looked up to the sky in concentration. «Seimei was one of the most popular trainers in Kanto. People looked up to him, followed him.» He allowed himself a smile. «And he just lost spectacularly on the biggest stage in the region. Not only that, but he showed everyone exactly why shadow pokémon are such a bad idea.»

Eddie nodded. «Glad all that work we did with Gary paid off.» He nudged Ronyo. «You were fighting pretty well, you know.»

Ronyo laughed. «Biggest workout of my life,» he said. «I don't know how you do it every day.»

Eddie had a smug grin. «It helps to have actual muscles.»

«Hey,» Ronyo said in mock offense, «I transformed into an machamp! Those things are nothing but muscle.»

«That explains why you were so bad at it!»

They both laughed. Ronyo used his telekinesis and pulled a couple of berries off a nearby tree. He tossed one to Eddie and popped the other in his mouth.

Eddie didn't touch his. «How long am I going to live?» he said quietly.

Ronyo blinked. He crawled around so he could sit across from Eddie. «Why do you ask?»

Eddie looked off to the side, embarrassed. «They say that a ninetails can live for a thousand years. And mews don't die from natural causes.»

Ronyo slowly leaned forward and gripped the sides of Eddie's head, resting his forehead on Eddie's. His tail rested gently on his back.

::I don't know how long either of us have,:: he said, speaking directly to Eddie's mind. ::I'm still young by normal standards, even younger by mew standards. I don't know if we'll get into a fight we can't win. I don't know if you'll live longer than normal by virtue of being around a mew and a ninetails.:: He pulled himself closer. ::But I do know you're my friend, you'll always be my friend, and I'll always look forward to our next adventure, whether it's in this world or the next.:: He looked Eddie in the eyes and added, ::I promise.::

Eddie shifted so he could rub his cheek against Ronyo's. «Thanks, brother,» he said softly.

Ronyo hugged him tighter. «Of course… brother.»

Abruptly Ronyo pulled back and floated slightly. «Speaking of the next adventure,» he said with a grin, «how does a lap around Johto sound?»

Eddie grinned. «Just you and me?»

Ronyo shook his head side to side. «I was thinking of bringing Kara along…»

Eddie stuck his nose and tail into the air in mock indignation. «That is completely unacceptable.» He fixed Ronyo with a sidelong glance. «Unless Toni can come too.»

Ronyo rolled his eyes. «I suppose…»

They held the look for all of two seconds before they burst into giggles that quickly turned into a full-blown belly laugh.

**Day 30: Most nostalgic element of Pokémon: (2/2) The unending adventure**

* * *

_A few translation notes:_

_In part 3, the overenthusiastic squirtle says "THOUGH MY BODY MAY BE WEAK, THE WATER OF MY SOUL FANS THE FLAMES OF MY HEART!" Naturally, Ronyo panicked and got the heck out of there._

_Ronyo didn't give me a translation for Chris' insult in part 12, but I'm assuming it has something to do with one's ancestry and dittos._

_When discussing strategy in part 14, Eddie snarks, "Spoiler alert; it's me."_

_Thank you for reading. You can keep up with my writing adventures at plotholefragments on tumblr._


End file.
